Metal wheel



M. LACHMAN.

METAL WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 2. 1917.

1,893,795, Patented Oct. 18, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

A TTOH/VEYS M. LACHMAN.

METAL WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 2 L917.

2 SHEETS- SHEET 2.

Patented Oct. 18, 1921.

INVENTOI? 777aur/ce Z C/I/Tla/I M 4 OR/VEXS,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MAURICE LAcHmAn, on NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, .mo BETHLEHEM STEEL COMPANY, or BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORA- TION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

METAL WHEEL.

Patented Oct. 18,1921.

Application filed November 2, 1917. Serial No. 199,828.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MAURICE LACHMAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Metal lVheels, ofwhich the following is a specification. a

My invention relates to the construction of metal wheels and its object is to provide a wheel that shall be of great strength or rigidity capable of resisting effectively torsional as well as other strains and that may be cheaply made from sheet metal and angle or flanged iron bars.

To these ends my invention comprises an improved construction of wheel as hereinafter described and shown and having for its principal features a substantially rigid central frame or spider made of flanged iron bars constituting the spokes of the wheel and metal disks or side plates inclosing or embracing said rigid spider and having a bearing by their flatfaces or web portions against the flat faces of the flanges at the opposite sides of said bars respectively and a metal rim seated upon the edges of said side plates.

Other features of construction and preferred forms of the principal parts constituting my invention will be more particularly specified-in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of a wheel embodying my invention, one of the side plates being broken away to show in part the interiorconstruction.

Fig.2 is a cross-section of the wheel on line 22 Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a central cross-section through one of the side plates of the preferred form.

Fig. 4 shows the spoke portion of the construction removed.

Fig. 5 is a cross-section on the line 5-5 through one of the spoke members. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a modified form of my invention, part of the side plate being broken away.

Fig. is a cross-section on the line 7-7 Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 shows in side elevation the spider constituting the spoke portion of the wheel illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7.

Fig. 9 is a cross-section through one. of the side plates on the wheel shown in Fig. 7.

Fig. 10 is an edge view of the structure with the metal rim removed.

Fig. 11 is a cross-section through one of the spokes shown in Fig. 8 and including the side plates seated against the flanges thereof and inclosing said spoke member.

Fig. 12 illustrates a slight modification in the disposition of the transverse reinforcing piece.

As Shown in Figs. 1, 4 and 5, the flame or spider constituting the spoke portion is preferably composed of channel bars 1 bent to a substantial U shape, the legs of the U being placed with the channel bars arranged preferably back to back as illustrated in Fig. 5 and with the radiating arms or members of the frame disposed in radial lines extending from the wheel center to the edge of the wheel where, if desired, they may form a hearing or seat for the rim 2 as illustrated in Fig. 2. The U-shaped parts assembled as shown in Fig. 4 may be secured together in any desired way and permanently or, if desired, temporarily only, for holding them in position during the build ing up of the wheel. parts are arranged in a circle as shown and may, if desired, abut against a cylindrical hub or member thereof consisting of a metal sleeve or cylinder composed, as hereinafter described, of the complementary inturned flanges of the side plates or otherwise constructed. The two channel bars or flanged metal bar members constituting one spoke may be fastened together where they are backed against one another by electric spot welds or "by other means. Metal side plates indicated at 3 consists of disks or metal plates stamped or struck up to the required form and embracing or inclosing the spoke members or spider between them. The side plates may be fastened together and against the flanges of the spider by suitable bolts, the bolt holes of which are indicated at 4, while one of said bolts is indicated at 5. Said bolts may pass through the side plates near the periphery thereof and also near the central portions and at the center strengthening annular hub plates 6 may be used through which the bolts at the hub part also pass. Said side plates may like- The bases of the U messes wise, if desired, be fastened directly to the flanges of the spoke members by electric welds disposed in number and position as desired.

Each of said side plates 3 is formed up with an inturned flange or edge 7 upon which the metal rim 2 seats. Said flanged edge 7 is preferably connected with the body of the plate by the offset 8 and the ledge or step 9, thus forming an annular groove opening inwardly, said annular groove serving to stifl'en the periphery of each plate 3. The ledge or step 9 likewise serves as a support for transverse reinforcing pieces 10 interposed around the periphery of the wheel in the spaces between spokes and acting to strengthen the peripheral rim 2 by affording additional supports therefor upon the ledge 9. Said reinforcing pieces 10 also serve to resist the tendency to torsion of the felly portion of the wheel. They may be conveniently made of T-shaped pieces of metal extending transversely across the felly portion of the wheel and supported at their opposite ends upon the ledges 9. The reinforcing pieces 10 may be welded to the ledges 9, if desired, before application and shrinking on of the metal rim 2, suitable openings 30 being provided in the periphery of the flange 7 over the pieces 10 to allow the insertion of a welding tool by which the base of the T-shaped piece 10 may be welded to the ledge 9. At the center of each plate or disk 3 there is provided an inwardly extending flange 11 adapted to form, in conjunction with the similar flange of the opposite side plate, a cylindrical metal hub for the wheel.

aid flanges meet as indicated in Fig. 2 when the parts are assembled and firmly abut one another.

Instead of providing the-holes 30, the re inforcing members 10 may be disposed in suitably formed cut-away portions of the flange 7 as indicated in Fig. 12, in which case the members 10 will bear against the rim 2 and sufficient space is provided on each side of the flange of the member 10 to permit the insertion of the welding tool to allow it to engage the flange of the member 10 which engages the offset 8.

The rim 2 may ifdesired be spot or otherwise welded to the flange 7 and also to the ends of the spoke members. Also when the reinforcing members 10 are provided as shown in Fig. 12 the rim may also be welded to these members at the contacting places.

Obviously other forms of flanged metal bars having flanges at both edges adapted to afford bearings by their flat faces for the flat faces of the two side disks or plates might be used for the spokes or rigid spider. By employing sections of flanged metal bars as described with the edges where the flanges are located presented to the sides of the wheel, it is obvious that the wheel may be very cheaply constructed since it then becomes practicable ,to employ suitable lengths of usual form of commercialbar iron in the construction of the spokes.

In the modification of my invention shown in Figs. 6, 7, 620., each spoke member 1 consists of a Z-bar as shown in Fig. 11, the flanges of which receive the side plates 3 which are bolted or welded together and against the spoke members 1,- as already described, or are otherwise secured together. in this form of my invention the spoke members 1 radiate from a pair of annular plates 12 and are secured between said plates by suitable bolting passing through the plates. One

of said bolts is indicated at 13. Annular plates 12 fit into annular grooves or depressions indicated at 14 and formed on the inner faces of the side plates near their center, as clearly shown in Fig. 9. Plates 12 and the ofl'set or groove formed at 14 serve to give added strength or rigidity to the hub portion of the wheel. In other respects the construction is substantially the same as already described, the rim 2 being seated upon or shrunk upon the flanged edge of the side plates or otherwise suitably fastened thereon.

Obviously the form of metal side plate or disk described might be employed in connection with other forms of central spider or frame or the spider may be employed with other forms of side plates.

What I claim as my invention is 1. A metal wheel'comprising a substanat the opposite edges respectively of said bars.

2. A metal wheel constructed of a substantially rigid spider comprising flanged metal bars forming radial spokes and side plates embracing and clamped against the flat faces of the flanges on the opposite edges respectively of the same metal bars, said side plates being provided with flanged edges extending toward one another to form a bearing for the rim. 1

3. A metal wheel constructed of flanged metal bars constituting spoke members for the wheel and two side plates secured together and against the opposite faces respectively of the same spoke members, said side members being each provided with an annular groove at its edge as and for the purpose described. I

4:. In a metal wheel, the combination with a spider having radiating spoke members and side plates secured together and against at their center with meeting inturned flanges cooperating to form a hub as and for the purpose described.

5. In a metal wheel, the combination with a central spider or frame comprising flanged spoke members, of side plates secured together and respectively against the flanges at the opposite edges of sa1d spoke members and having flanged peripheries, a metal rim embracing the spoke ends and the flanged peripheries of the side plates, the flanged peripheries being connected with the body of each plate by an offset part to form an annular groove.

6. A metal wheel having a spoke portion composed of channel bars bent to U form and assembled base to base as described to form radiating spokes each composed of two channel bar sections combined with side plates embracing and secured to the sides of said channel bars.

7. A metal wheel containing a series of flanged metal bars bent to U form and as sembled with the legs of the Us back to back to form radiating spokes and metal side plates having flanged centers and edges and secured against said flanged spokes.

8. In a wheel structure, the combination of a pair of wheel disks provided with peripheral flanges having slots therein, a plu rality of cross braces having their opposite ends supported by portions of the wheel disks, and each having a portion extending outwardly through the slots formed in the peripheral flanges, and a rim positioned upon and bearing against the outer surfaces of the peripheral flanges and the outwardly extendlng portions of the cross braces.

.9. In a wheel structure, the combination.

of a pair of wheel disks provided with opposed channels, and perip eral flanges having transverse slots therein, a plurality of cross braces having their opposite ends positioned within the opposed channels and supported by the wheel disks, and each having a portion extending outwardly through the slots formed in the peripheral flanges, and a rim positioned upon and bearing against the outer surfaces of the peripheral flanges and the outwardly extending portions of the cross braces.

10. In a wheel structure, a felly formed of opposed channel members, a pair of inturned flanges having slots therein, and a plurality of cross braces having the ends thereof positioned within the opposed channels and having portions thereof positioned within the slots formed in the flanges.

11. In a wheel structure, the combination of a pair of wheel disks having inturned flanges provided with oppositely positioned slots, and a plurality of cross braces supported by the wheel disks and having portions thereof extending through the oppositely positioned slots formed in the flanges.

12. In a wheel structure, the combination of a pair of wheel disks having inturned peripheral flanges provided wit-h oppositely positioned slots, a plurality of cross braces supported by the wheel disks and having portions thereof extending through the oppositely positioned slots formed in. the flanges, and a rim carried by the disks and engaging the outwardly extending portions of the cross braces.

13. In a wheel structure, the combination of a pair of wheel disks spaced from each other throughout and provided with peripheral flanges having transverse slots therein, a plurality of cross braces having their opposite ends supported by portions of the wheel disks, and each having a portion extending outwardly through the slots formed in the peripheral flanges, and a rim positioned upon and bearing against the outer surfaces of the peripheral flanges and the outwardly extending portion of the cross braces.

14. In a wheel structure, the combinations of a spider member provided with radial arms, a pair of wheel disks connected to said spider and contacting with the edges of said arms, the peripheral portions of said disks having inturned flanges, a plurality of slots bein formed in saidflanges, a plurality of rein orcing pieces supported by said disks and having web portions disposed in said slots, and a rim mounted on the peripheries of said disks.

Signed at New York in the county of New York and State of New York this 23rd day of October A. D. 1917.

MAURICE LACHMAN.

Witnesses:

' F. B. TOWNSEND, t IRENE LEFKOWITZ. 

